After stressing all week about the race start time, my
finish time, and making my flight back home at LAX, race morning came and I was
ready to get going. Admittedly, stress of the elements kept me up a little
later than I would have liked; however, no worries. Race day was here and I was
out of my Long Beach hotel by 5:45am. Traffic was lovely through Los Angeles at
6am. No barriers on the 710 or the 5 and I was at my exit at Los Feliz in good
time. I stopped at Starbucks – my pre-race ritual always includes coffee to
help open my asthmatic lungs – and headed toward Griffith Park. Aside from
packet pick-up at A Runner’s Circle Running Shop, I had never visited this area
of So-Cal. Thank goodness for Mapquest on the I-Phone 5 – you get me
everywhere!
Back up Los Feliz, into Griffith Park, and I was at my
destination two hours early. I headed to the top to the Griffith Observatory to
take some pictures after deciding not to take my camera on the run – I was way
too pressed for time. If you have not had the chance to take the view up there
in, please do so and thank me later. I was amazed at the beautiful skyline I
had seen pictures of or viewed in movies, with little appreciation. No more.
Between the Observatory, the beauty of the Los Angeles skyline and the infamous
Hollywood sign, I was speechless.
After my picture-taking frenzy, I drove back to the hill to
park near the Greek Theater. I organized for my departure and prepped for the
upcoming race. To the start I jogged lightly to warm up my legs.
At the start, the Naked Juice guys gave me a drink of Carrot
Orange – yummy! After that treat, I finished off my Cucumber Lime Gatorade –
the best flavor EVER! (not to be found in KY). Then, after expecting a light
drizzle, the downpour of rain hit us! What? Rain in LA? What is up with that? I
found a dry spot and took cover there – I was afraid of melting (Ha). While
waiting for the start, I met a guy, Mike, which told me about the race in 2011
and described the route, which helped a ton. We talked about our running
experiences, our wives, and other things that led us to this point. Start time
came, I wished him luck, and got into running mode. I did get the opportunity
to say thank you the Keira Henninger, the Race Director, for communicating with me
leading up to the race, with details on where to be and when.
Now, to the start, where the rain calmed down to a drizzle
and runners were ready to make like horse poop and hit the trail. We were off
at 8:30am sharp, as promised. Here is how my second ever trail half marathon
went:
Normally I use sections of milage to map out my race; however, trail races are not that easy to breakdown, so here is a summary:
Uh oh, I started too fast! The first left hand turn went up
a great hill with soft sand-like terrain. I was trying to run fast and getting
little tread. I had to mentally regroup and remind myself I was not on road,
which makes up most my experience is. I hit the reset button and took it a
little easier the rest of the way. This was a tough one – I walked a couple
times and became worried about my flight. All good because we were already
started and there was no turning back! I run/walked on the tough inclines and
made up good time on the declines. Over-exertion is tough to accomplish when
you hit an incline or terrain where speed is not an option – or maybe I just
played it smart. Throughout the rest of the race, runners were blessed the
majestic views. A few times we were so high into the clouds, the only sight was
the trail in front and drop-offs on both sides of the ridge. I felt like I was
in heaven and realized this is why LA is known as the City of Angels. This race
was nothing but hills and history. Whether inclines or declines, looking at the city, around Bronson Caves where the old Batman was filmed, or gettin a birds eye view of the Hollywood sign, the route was amazing.
RD Keira Henninger awaited at the finish, gave me
the AWESOME finisher’s medal, and told me to “GET TO LAX and catch your
flight!” I stopped long enough to get a Naked Coconut Water (delicious) and
reset my Garmin. I ran the rest of the way to the car, changed and drove away from there
in a frenzy!
Official Results:
Time: 1:47:14
Pace: 8:11/mi
Overall Place: 16 of 349
Age Group Place: 3rd
Though I was running hard, I did take advantage of the
opportunity to enjoy the sights seen from this route. The city in all
directions, the Hollywood sign, the Griffith Observatory, lookouts, clouds,
peaks, valleys and many other sights made this race the most scenic in my
tenure as a runner.
About the race organization:
You guys were all AWESOME! Already mentioned was how helpful Race Director Keira
Henninger was in making my decision to participate in this race and getting me
to the start and to the airport from the finish. The route was excellently
marked for runners to find their way with signs and flags. The volunteers were
most helpful in cheering us on with encouragement and excitement. I joked with
a couple of them telling them their signs were pointed the wrong way – I hope they
found it funny.Aid
stations were well-equipped with volunteers, water, Hammer, gels and snacks.
They cheered and asked runners what they wanted as they approached. Parking was
a breeze, both in and out. RD, you really know how to organize an awesome race!
Sponsors were terrific, the medal and race shirt were uniquely AWESOME, and you
even turned on the rain to cool runners off. I could not have asked for a
better experience. THANK YOU!
Next, for me in 2012 is a little rest - or at least for a
couple of days. December may bring another trail run in Otter Creek Park –
undecided. The main focus for the upcoming Winter Season will be getting miles
in and staying healthy so I can run more and run faster! Scheduled in 2013 so
far is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Lexington (KY), the Little Rock Half (AR), and the
Wickedly Fast Half (Olathe, KS). We will see if any other opportunities pop up!
I love running so much I am going to keep writing about it,
so I hope ya’ll keep reading.
Follow me on:
Twitter @jameshoagy, Facebook, and on my blog: JamesRunstheNation.blogspot.com
HAPPY RUNNING!
FIT4LIFE
